This chapter concludes that while emissions keep going up, nothing of substance has yet been achieved after more than two decades of effort. Few politicians explain that climate change is all about ...
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This chapter concludes that while emissions keep going up, nothing of substance has yet been achieved after more than two decades of effort. Few politicians explain that climate change is all about coal, economic growth, and population growth. Economists have added to the credibility gap by claiming that the costs of mitigation may be low and that they may not be detrimental to living standards. Tackling climate change does mean lowering the standard of living from its current unsustainable levels, even after the economic crisis. Border carbon adjustments have the useful property of encouraging others to implement their own carbon-pricing measures in order to keep the revenues that would otherwise go to the importing country. Climate change is a problem that can be solved, but it won't be on current policies.Less

Conclusion

Dieter Helm

Published in print: 2012-10-12

This chapter concludes that while emissions keep going up, nothing of substance has yet been achieved after more than two decades of effort. Few politicians explain that climate change is all about coal, economic growth, and population growth. Economists have added to the credibility gap by claiming that the costs of mitigation may be low and that they may not be detrimental to living standards. Tackling climate change does mean lowering the standard of living from its current unsustainable levels, even after the economic crisis. Border carbon adjustments have the useful property of encouraging others to implement their own carbon-pricing measures in order to keep the revenues that would otherwise go to the importing country. Climate change is a problem that can be solved, but it won't be on current policies.